An aerial from 2013 showing cleared areas.

When I looked at donations to Kevin Madok’s campaign for county clerk, I noted that two sizable donations came from landfill companies.  That struck me as odd.  Why would two landfill operations from out-of-town care who wins the election for Monroe County clerk of court?

Fast forward a month or two, and the county is crowing about some huge fines they’ve been allowed to impose on local business owner, Brian Lindback.  They are salivating over the possibility of foreclosing on his property.  It gives me the creeps.  It should give everyone the creeps.  Yesterday it was SUFA.  Today it’s Brian Lindback.  Who will be targeted tomorrow?  You?  Me?  Your sweet old granny?

Lindback runs a solid waste operation located right next door to Monroe County’s recycling facility.  Lindback is being fined up to $1 million for improperly clearing vegetation on land that he owns.  Right next door, the county did the same damn thing only instead of confining it to their own property, they went onto conservation land owned by the state.  There’s an aerial from 2013 provided above and here’s more photographic evidence.  Okay, so that just proves that Monroe County government is run by two-faced scumbags who selectively enforce the rules.  But we already know this.  There’s nothing new there.

What I really wanted to get across is that the donations to Madok’s campaign are from two companies under the same ownership as Waste Management of Florida, Inc., which has a direct business relationship with Monroe County.  Waste Management is currently under contract to provide solid waste services to Monroe County.  Timothy B. Hawkins is not only an officer in Waste Management, but also Okeechobee Landfill, Inc. and Trail Ridge Landfill, Inc. – the two companies that donated to Madok’s campaign.

Pritam Singh got a sweet-heart deal on the Hickory House property thanks to the county’s rank incompetence, flouting of the law, and “brazen disregard” for the affordable housing crisis.  Perhaps down the road, someone else will get a similarly great deal on Mr. Lindback’s property.  Wouldn’t it be terrific for an outfit like Waste Management to get their hands on a distressed property already suitable for their business?

The optics sure look bad.  Don’t they always?

I’ll be watching.